An adhesive tape dispenser is a device that holds a roll of adhesive tape and has a cutter mechanism at one end to sever the tape from the roll. The design and construction of adhesive tape dispensers vary widely based on the type of tape they dispense and the nature of use. One of the most common of such devices are clear adhesive tape, also commonly referred to as “cellophane” or “scotch” tape, dispensers designed for general household and/or light duty office use. These types of dispensers are commonly made of plastic, are small enough so that the dispenser, with the tape in it, can be easily picked up and manipulated near the point of application, and are intended to be either disposable or refillable depending upon the user's discretion. A further characteristic of conventional cellophane tape dispensers is that they require two-handed “pull and tear” operation. In other words, the user must hold the dispenser with one hand while grasping the adhesive tape with the other hand, then pulling out a desired length of tape from the roll, and tearing or severing the tape using the dispenser's cutting mechanism. The torn off length of tape is then manipulated, often with both hands, in order to apply it at the proper location on the surface of the object being taped. Because the tape is sticky, the user requires a certain degree of dexterity in order to apply the tape properly and without the tape sticking to itself. Oftentimes, the user's fingerprints are left visible on the otherwise clear tape, and if the tape has become stuck to itself it may need to be discarded. Further, dispensing the correct length of tape requires a certain amount of guesswork, either causing wastage when the length cut is greater than the length required, or duplication of effort if the length cut off from the roll is too short.
Over the years, there have been many attempts to improve on the design of conventional adhesive tape dispensers in order to address these and other drawbacks, however, there still remains a need for improvement in this field.